|
Memphis Mid-South
Volkswagen Club Newsletter July
2005 |
Cordova, TN, SAT JUN 25, 2005 – It was
our Herbie Day! We celebrated and took part in the release of Herbie Fully
Loaded. Our day, and evening, was fully loaded too; a 3-part, all in one day,
episode.
For a short history lesson, it all
began… in a land … far, far away… or not. I contacted Malco Theaters via their
web site, several weeks ago, to see if the movie would be showing at the Summer
Drive-In. I was surprised when they responded that they were looking for the
local club (us), so we could do a show and shine to kick off the new Herbie
movie. Well, here we are.
We all met at the Cordova
Malco, Saturday afternoon at 3:00 and circled the wagons in our reserved spot.
We had a great turn-out; 19 VWs total. Our members who participated in the
Herbie Show & Shine:
·
Ricky B.
·
Mark C.
·
Wendy C.
·
Bill C.
·
Cameron D.
·
Roger F.
·
David G.
·
Richard G.
·
LaRue H.
· Mark H.
· Juan L.
· Ricky M.
· Don N.
· Jim R.
· Ron &
Barbara S.
· Phillip
& Mona S.
·
Jeff W.
Of course, it was great
fun, showing off our rides and answering questions. Malco put on a great
production inside and outside the Theater. Q107.5 had a dressed up New Beetle
along with 2 or 3 Herbie replicas outside. Inside, they had a pretty cool
Herbie display with hay bales like a scene from an old movie. There was also
lots of staff on hand to pass out freebies and receive donations for Victory
Junction, a NASCAR charity.
Plenty of artificial shade and cool breezes
A Herbie Kiss
A Crowd Pleaser Herbie Mecca
This
segment of our special day lasted 2 hours. So, at about 5 PM, I passed out the
free movie passes that Malco was more than pleased to give us in return. And they
were “emergency passes;” not the ordinary ones. They are good for any movie
unless it is already sold out. Cool.
So, we
made an attempt at a caravan up Germantown Parkway to Steak & Shake on
Stage Road, near Wolfchase Mall. We made it okay, but the timing of our arrival
didn’t allow for us to all sit together. We tried. I purposely drug my feet at
this point, realizing that we were going to have a good wait at the drive-in
movie, the next stop on our agenda and the finale to the day.
I think it
was an “each for his own” trip to Summer Drive-In. Sure enough, they accepted
our movie passes and we ended up at Screen 3 (has speakers) for the showing of
Herbie Fully Loaded, followed by Madagascar.
Not
everybody could make it to the show & shine, but some others joined us at
the drive-in:
·
Kelli B
·
Michelle R
·
Jason R
·
Charlie S
·
Nancy T
This is
actually the first Herbie movie I have ever seen at a theater. I loved the heck
out of it. Wings and spoilers DO belong on Beetles, after all. Ha! I especially
like the affect they used where you could see through Herbie’s “eyes,” his
headlights. And he has 20-20 vision.
The Herbster WINS!!!
It was a great day; fun to be with friends and fellow Vdubbers to
celebrate this occasion. I hope there will be sequels in the coming years. We
need to do this again.
Air Bill
P.S. You NASCAR fans that watched the Daytona race a couple or so weeks
back might have noticed #10 (Scott Riggs) was wearing the Herbie name on its
hood and the familiar red & blue racing stripes on white paint. You might
have also noticed he had to swerve to miss a car when #24 pitted…. which resulted
in my man, Mark Martin, smacking the wall to miss #10… and going from 5th
in points to 10th. Now THAT Herbie car didn’t make yours truly happy
that day. I heard a viewer suggestion that they add “pitting” lights to the
cars.
1.
Q: What visible changes were made to the 1959 Beetle?
A: Actually this is a trick question, because the 1959 got no “visible” changes at all! All it got
was non-visible changes like stronger clutch springs.
2.
Q: What
VW model is a “Variant?”.
A: That name is applied to the
European versions of both the Type 3 and Type 4 Squarebacks, which is, obviously, a “station wagon” body style.
They called it a “Variant” because the Type 2 Microbus was, in effect, the company’s
station wagon. In fact, U.S. advertising called it that, for a while, instead
of “Microbus.”
3. Q: Many years ago, VW went searching for the
oldest VW in the U.S for them to acquire for their collection and the winner
got a new VW Beetle in trade for it. In what year was that?”
A: 1960, they found a 1946 model, which VOA still has, that a WWII vet, turned
farmer had brought, privately, over from Germany.
4. Q: One of the famous humorous VW ads showed a Model “A”
Ford next to A Beetle with the elderly original owner of both cars in between.
The Caption read,”33 years later, He got the Bug.” In what year was that?
A: 1963, the Ford was a 1929 model, which means he would have bought his new
1963 VW in late 1962.
5. Q:
You have
read my model car articles so what is the scale that the Viking (pronounced
“Wiking”) dealership promos models were made in?
A: 1/40th scale.
JULY’S
QUESTIONS
1. What was the span of years
during which Heinz Nordoff, the original VW Director General, served?
2. In what year did the Split window Type 2 get a visor
over the windshield?
3. Which car make is VW owned now, Rolls Royce or
Bentley?
4. In what country was the VW’s Creator (Actually he and
his design team created it), Ferdinand Porsche (pronounced “Porshuh, the end
letter “E” is not silent in German words”), born?
5.
The Purchase of what
company led to the creation of the VW Rabbit?
6.
True or false, the
1960 Beetle was available in a shade of yellow?
Answers next month, along
with new questions.
Trivia Factoids:
By Herschel D.
VW
seems to be trying to increase their profit by making cars with the VW
nameplate on cars of every price range.
Do you think that is a good idea? Should they give their luxury cars a different nameplate like Toyota and
Nissan felt was wisest for them to do?
As a
follow up to my electrical article, I’d like to relate my experience with my
new engine’s first alternator. When I first got the car back with the new
engine, I noticed how intensely
bright the headlights were. I was surprised but I did not attribute it to the 6
to 12 volt change because I had already brightened the former 6-volt lights to
a pretty normal brightness with some replaced wiring and the WD-40 treatment. I
just thought it was somehow because alternators charge better than do
generators. Well, it turns out that that alternator‘s armature winding had been
unintentionally wired for an output of
14 volts! Ray Glass said that, that, typically, happens every now and then to rebuilt alternators, along with the
opposite possibility of them sometimes only putting out 10 volts.
But,
that it was unusual for a new one to
be that way. But mine was a new one.
After a while, that alternator started to run with a dimmed output part of the time and then it would brighten with a
whining sound for a few blocks before it dimmed (quite a bit) again.
Finally, it expectedly, died
altogether after about a year of that strange behavior. When it did so, I got
another new one and put it in only for it
to not work at all, either!
What
we did about that, was for Ray to remove a regulator from another new alternator, because they are not
sold separately, (they are internal on alternators (just in case
you don’t already know that!), and
gave it to me to install, rather than replacing the whole thing again. That did
the trick! Now it creates a brightness that is a little brighter than the old 6-volt generator was putting out,
after my brightening treatment, which I attribute to the lower RPM that
alternators can charge at, more than the fact that it is 12 volts now.
My
favorite hobby shop that has been at Summer and Mendenhall ever since they
bought out Lester Goldsmith’s hobby inventory some years back, has moved to
Summer and White station. It is a brighter lit, bigger store. They have
numerous VW Models in stock including a 1/35th-scale glue together
plastic assembly kit of a WWII VW Commander’s Car (Beetle Body on a Kubelwagen
Chassis) that can be built as a civilian KDF-Wagon, instead.
I
got a 1/87th (HO) scale New Beetle Cabriolet there recently by Model
power. They also have a 1/43rd-scale diecast early ‘80’s Rabbit
Cabriolet (by K-Line) and a “HO” scale split-window Bug (by Busch, I think), as
well as various 1/72nd and 1/35th scale Word War II VW
Kubelwagen and Schwimmwagen plastic assembly kit models, amongst others. They
still have their wonderful clutter of
boxes of models found at yard sales, etc, too. They also sell model trains (new
and old), slot cars (including VW’s), and radio controlled airplanes. They can
special order models that they don’t have in stock, too
Well,
I’ve just been informed that, due to space limitations, we no longer put
business cards into the newsletter unless it is from a show sponsor. I guess I
should have tuned into that before this but I didn't. Yet, I have already
accepted a year’s worth of publishing one from Kenny Faulks Automotive by way
of his becoming a club member. You see, for years, I have been asked by club
members and non-members alike where can they go to get their VW worked on. I’ve
always recommended the best I knew of but always felt that there needed to be
better. That “better” is definitely Faulk’s. He is highly recommended by the folks at Roy Rogers, and I, too, am very impressed by their work.
I
think that they are very VW knowledgeable, (No doubt for other makes, too) very
thorough, and honest as well. So I very much want to spread the word,
especially since I get asked about a good place to go with some regularity. So,
instead of a monthly business card I will simply place, as my recommendation,
the shop’s name, address and phone number as a notation in this monthly article
for as long as Kenny Faulk retains his club membership. So here it is: Are you
wondering where there might be a really good, honest, thorough,
VW-knowledgeable place to get your VW worked on? Well then, from personal
experience, as well the testimony from other’s that have used them, I recommend
Faulk Automotive, Inc., 3430
Democrat RD. Memphis, TN 38118, (901) 365-8010
|
|
|
|
3707 Hickory Hill Memphis, TN 38115 (901) 795-6018 Ray Glass
Manager |
4752 Yale Rd. Memphis, TN 38128 (901) 377-7214 Manager Mike “Henry” Hendrix or ask for Chip Oakley 888-382-7214 Toll Free |
Veronica’s Revenge – The Sequel
By Glenn J
Well, I made my trip to Tulsa to
pick up my 72 VW. I was really excited. A restored VW for only $3,000.00.
When I drove up, it looked really
great in the driveway. The beautiful platinum color (non-standard, I believe}
was really what I had hoped to get. Met the owner's wife, and called the
owner (he was on the way home from work). He tells me to get the keys from his
wife and take it for a drive.
The outside looked great...except,
I noticed a little bubbling around the edge of one window. I got in. Noticed
the seat covers were a little "loose-fitting." It started right up,
but sounded like the engine was going to fall out. I felt this could be due to
sitting for a period of time. Maybe needed a little tune up and some fresh gas.
So, I took off. The "NEW" clutch released surprisingly fast, almost
causing me to do a wheelie. Just needs a little adjusting, I thought.
At the first little bump in the
road, the five-gallon bucket (containing three railroad spikes) in the back
seat bounced up and rattled really noisily. I screeched to a halt - I was only
doing 5 MPH - and turned around in the seat to remove the bucket. There was no
bucket.
As I made a U-Turn about 100 yards
from the house I executed a cat that must have been curled up sleeping
somewhere under the car in the front end. The screeching noise was unnerving,
to say the least. I stopped, got out and examined the underside...no cat...no
blood ... no fur. A mystery.
I drove back into the driveway and
pulled the emergency brake. No braking action. I remembered that the owner said
that one of the very few things the car needed was a boot for the parking
brake. I could not figure out how the lack of a brake handle boot could affect
the braking action. But then, I'm no mechanic.
The wife leaned down to my window,
"Have a fun drive?", she asked.
"No," I said. "Just
a little frightening. I don't think I will buy the car."
"Why?" she asked. “Won’t
you wait for my husband to get home? He should be here in just a few
minutes."
"No," I said, getting
back in my rental car. "I've just driven 544 miles to look at a $3,000 car
that I wouldn't have traded Veronica for."
"Whose Veronica?" she
asked.
You don't want to know, I said,
sprinkling her with pea gravel as I accelerated away..
Glenn
Editor’s Note: The above
article is regarding the outcome of Glenn’s latest experience with an Ebay purchase,
after selling his other Ebay purchase (Veronica) to fellow member, Rob H.
The VW Hobby
By Herschel D
Several years a go, I read an
article entitled: “The Graying of Hershey.” It stated that the people that
bring vintage cars to antique car shows (such as the world’s largest antique car show in Hershey, PA) are getting more
gray-haired because the number of young people entering the hobby is falling.
When they do get involved they do not
pursue the pre-WWII cars as much as used to be. Of course, most VWs are post
war any way and still attract young people all the time. But still, the fact
is, though, I know I am the steward of my car’s preservation only for now! But, I’d like for
it to be around fully restored, in
2105 and well beyond, as well!
Hopefully not just stuck in a
museum, either! Eventually, Beetles and other air-cooled VWs will skyrocket in price, just like brass era
(pre-1917) cars did (which is why you see them more in museums now, than at
your local car show). I am one of those car enthusiasts that get dismayed when
I see a chopped and channeled vintage car. Yes, I know sometimes it is only
done to rust wrecks that were deemed unrestorable or is done using fiberglass
parts, etc., but many a restorable
car was cut up too!
Those cars can never, with any
practicality, be returned to their original historical condition. What’s worse,
usually when some kid of, say 1954, created his beloved chopped and channeled
low-rider 1932 Ford “Deuce,” (which often included throwing away many of the reusable stock parts that he abandoned!) he’d play and “be cool”
with it for a few years, and then discard it because now he has a family to
spend most of his money on and the car is not even a very good parts source for
restoration.
Most such
cars just went back to the junkyard to rot away! It was not, at all, typical
for the car to just be sold to the next hotrod enthusiast, probably because the
it would cost the next kid less money to get a hold of an abandoned
original and the creation would be more of his own! Thus, stock original 1932
Fords are quite rare and expensive,
today. I do not want that sort of thing to happen to my 1965 VW, although I
know the high priced rarity will eventually happen. So I would be mighty choosy
as to who were to get my car! However, actually, I plan to keep it always, and pass it on to family!
Drive Shaft Lengthening Not Required
VOL. 16,
NO. 1 Dedicated to ALL VW Models!
JULY
2005
(Pronounced – “Dahs Muhnstook,” meaning – “The
Mouthpiece.”)
of ARKANSAS,
MISSISSIPPI and TENNESSEE.
Rear-View
Mirror
-Bill C -
I have enjoyed the Vdub Life this past month or two. But, for me, the
greatest event, counting all the shows, etc., was Herbie Day. It did my heart
good to witness your participation. But, how could this day go wrong? Right?
Just want to thank everybody who showed up for any or all of the day’s
opportunities.
You might have seen that we are planning an IMAX event for this month and
a Fix & Tune for August. Why IMAX? Well, it is different, but ALSO, you can
get in out of the heat while you enjoy yourselves. We picked “Mystery of the
Nile,” hoping that something everybody would enjoy. IF it is a hit, we can do
it again in the next year’s time. Our Fix & Tune is a necessity for some… a
chance to get some things tweaked up on your Vdub. It is most likely that, if
this is still popular, we will schedule one next spring or so at the other Roy
Rogers. Don’t forget; you can be a part of the Events Committee too. Just let
Ron Smith or me know. We need your help.
I am surprised not to have heard rumblings from Bobby yet regarding
sponsorships for our annual VW show (OCT 8). That is less that 12 weeks, not
even 3 months. If you have been procrastinating, now is the time to make
contact with that potential sponsor. It costs $70 to sponsor one class (3
trophies). We try to have at least 30 classes. I have included a sponsor form
in this letter. There is also one on our web site. Just access it via the show
link on our home page. That brings us to one other idea that was brought up
recently.
Rear View (Cont. from P.12)
We would also like to offer you, members that can afford it, the option
of a $20 donation. We often have some members who fully sponsor one or more
classes, but most folks cannot do this. So, for the rest of you, if you are
interested in donating, just use a sponsorship form to do so, even for the $20
donation. You will hear more on this option, but space is limited here.
We will also signing up show volunteers. So be thinking about how/where
you can help.
Be sure to check out the events on page 5; lots of tidbits. Next month: Effingham
Show & GROOVE June Bug Jam.
Air Bill